


This is a place for you

by Moongazer12



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Starting with the first year, gryffindor!draco
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7682230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moongazer12/pseuds/Moongazer12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco gets placed into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. This sparks a butterfly affect that will change the whole series as we know it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I did not come up with this idea by myself. I saw this post (http://jawn-i-am-holme.tumblr.com/post/146064292221/parseltonquinq-potterslittleferret) on tumblr and i could not resist writing it. There are some things that I have/will change but i wanted to state that this is not my brain child, I just wanted to write a fic about it. Also I do not own the characters.

Draco walked into the Great Hall with his fellow classmates. All of the older students were staring at them as the first years followed the tall, slender lady. She held a scroll in one hand and an extremely old hat in the other. Draco wasn’t nervous, he knew where he was going to end up; all of his family had been in Slytherin since the school first opened. Students were slowly called up and sorted.

 

“Slytherin!”

 

“Ravenclaw!”

 

“Slytherin!”

 

“Hufflepuff!”

 

The seemingly never ending list of names went on until, “Draco Malfoy.” Draco stepped forth from the crowd.

 

 _This shouldn’t take long_ , he thought. _The hat will realize I am a Malfoy and I will get to sit with the Slytherins in no time._ The stern looking lady that had brought them into the hall now beckoned him to sit on the chair. As he did, she dropped the old hat onto his head. It was so big it slid over his eyes.

 

“Another Malfoy!” a voice rang in his ear. “But there’s more to you than just a name. I see courage and strength within you.”

 

“But I want to be in Slytherin.” Draco could not believe his ears. Was this hat suggesting that he belong anywhere else but Slytherin?

 

“That is not the house you belong in.” The Sorting Hat insisted.

 

“It is the house of my father, and his father before him. It has to be my house too.” Draco was pleading now. If he had to he’d get on his hands and knees. Though maybe not in front of everyone. But he would be damned if he ended up anywhere else but Slytherin. His father would probably disown him if he ended up anywhere else.

 

“Someday you will see that this is the place for you.” The hat said ominously. It took a deep breath and shouted so everyone could hear.

 

“Gryffindor!”

 

Draco’s heart sank. He couldn’t hear the cheering from Gryffindor table. He just sat there in disbelief even as the hat was taken off his head. Gryffindor. How could he, Draco Malfoy, be in Gryffindor? A hand on his back tried to slowly ease him off the chair. Draco looked up and saw the tall lady. She gave him a small, tightlipped smile, as if she knew what had happened. She nudged him again, and slowly Draco made his way to the Gryffindor table.

 

He just sat there starring at his plate. He didn’t join in any of the conversation that was roaring around him. Draco had no idea how he was going to explain to his father that he was in Gryffindor. Maybe his father could write to Dumbledore and he could put him in the Slytherin house. Yes. With Dumbledore and his father he’d become a Slytherin. This thought made him feel a bit better.

 

Harry Potter sat next to him. It was not surprise to Draco that the boy who lived ended up being a Gryffindor. Unfortunately, the Weasley boy wasn’t too far behind him. They did not try to strike up a conversation with Draco. _Thank God_. He thought to himself as he picked at the food that was close to him. Draco wasn’t particularly hungry, but he hadn’t eaten all day.

 

Dinner was long and tedious. But eventually Dumbledore stood up and sent them to their dormitories. A gangly, ginger boy stood up and started calling to all of the first years to follow him.

 

 _God. A Weasley is head boy. Father was right, Hogwarts has gone to the dogs_. Draco thought as he glared up at the back of older Weasley’s head.

 

“What are you looking at Malfoy?” The younger Weasley asked.

 

“I’m looking at your ugly mug.” Draco sneered.

 

“Guys, can you knock it off?” Harry stepped in between them. “We’re going to have to be in the same house for the next seven years. The least we can do is try to be civil to each other.”

 

Draco rolled his eyes and continued walking forward. “Whatever.” He muttered under his breath.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

All the boys were snoring, some of them quite loudly, But Draco couldn’t sleep. He sat up is his bed writing his father a letter.

 

_Dear Father,_

_Hogwarts is okay. The food is as good as you said it would be. I made some friends on the train. Their names are Crab and Goyal. But I don’t know if they’ll want to be my friend any more. For, you see, the sorting hat placed me in Gryffindor. I asked it to be in Slytherin, but it wouldn’t let me. Please do not be mad Father. Maybe you could write to Dumbledore and ask him to put me in Slytherin. Then I would be able to make you proud. Give mother my love._

_Love,_

_Draco._

 

Draco called over his owl, William. He nervously rolled up the parchment and tied it to William’s leg. He opened the window and sent the owl on its way.

 

“What are you doing?” The voice started Draco. He jumped and turned around. Seeing that it was only Potter, Draco turned to his desk.

 

“Nothing that concerns you.”

 

“Why do you have to be so antagonizing?” Harry demanded.

 

“Why do you care?” “Like I said earlier, we’re going to have to live with each other for seven years, we should try to be friends. Or at least be nice to each other.”

 

Draco Scoffed. “You don’t **get** it. I’m not suppose to be here. I am suppose to be a Slytherin. I am...” Draco’s voice cracked. There were tears in his eyes. Draco turned his back to Harry, hoping he hadn’t seen the tears. He couldn’t believe that this was happening. He was about to cry in front of someone. The last time he had cried in front of someone his father told him that no one would love a crybaby. He was 9.

 

Draco herd footsteps and felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

 

Draco squared his shoulders and forced his voice to be even. “It will be okay when my father fixes this mess, and I am a Slytherin.” With that, he got into his bed and pulled the curtains shut. He hoped that Potter didn’t hear him quietly cry himself to sleep.


	2. Broken Expectations and New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco finally gets a letter back from his father and Hermione makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I know I didn't say this before, but in this story Harry lives with Remus. It has no effect on the story at the moment, but it will later. And I hate the Dursleys. Remus will take better care of Harry then they ever will. Anyways I just wanted to let you know that plot point. Thanks and enjoy the Chapter. See you at End Notes. <3

Crab and Goyal hadn’t talked to him since the train ride, and Draco had avoided all of the mudbloods and bloodtraitors, just like his father taught him to. But that left him feeling incredibly isolated. Draco didn’t know how long he could last without having any friends. Draco was about to crack and start trying to make friends with the other Gryffindor’s if his father didn’t fix this soon, even though he knew his father wouldn’t approve of them. He had started to lose hope that his father would ever reply to him. But no, he couldn’t think like that. Father **WAS** going to fix this, Father could fix anything.

 

Three weeks later from when he originally wrote to his father, Draco was eating breakfast when William appeared at his elbow. He gawked at his owl for a moment. This was it. He finally got his letter from his father. Draco’s hands were shaking as he unclasped the letter.

 

_Dear Draco,_

_I am sorry to hear that you are a Gryffindor. Unfortunately, Dumbledore will not let you become a Slytherin. He says that if the hat wanted you to be a Gryffindor then a Gryffindor is what you will be. We will have to ender this. Somehow. I haven’t told the rest of the family yet. I don’t know how to break it to them. You have brought shame onto the family, and this time I cannot fix your mess._

_Lucius Malfoy._

 

Draco wasn’t hungry anymore. He crumpled the letter in his hand, grabbed his bag, and left the dining hall quickly, hoping no one saw the tears rush into his eyes. He was walking so quickly he didn’t see the person right in front of him until he was on the ground.

 

“Hey!” The person protested. Draco looked around and realized that he had ran into Hermione Granger. Her books and papers had spilled everywhere. She started picking up her things. Once everything was picked up she paused and looked at Draco, who was still sitting on the ground.

 

“Draco?” His eyes snapped to hers. “Are….are you alright?”

 

Draco hesitated. _This mudblood thought that she could talk to him? A member of the one of the greatest pureblood families in the wizarding world. Who is also a Gryffindor._ His mind betrayed him. _I am a Gryffindor now. There is no hope in me becoming a Slytherin. Ever._

 

“I’m fine.” Draco’s voice was weak. He picked up himself and his bag and walked out of the hallway as fast as he could. He wasn’t sure where he was going, he just wanted to be alone. Because that is all he’ll ever be. Alone. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione watched Draco go. He was obviously not fine, but if he did not want to talk to her then there was not much she could do about it. She did not blame him, not many people wanted to talk to her. Hermione had hoped that going to Hogwarts would be different then the muggle schools she had attended. It was not. People still treat her different. And she did not get why.

 

Hermione made it to the library. She set the pile of books and papers on a desk in a far corner, she had a transfiguration test in three days and needed to study for it. As she started shifting through her papers, one caught her eye. It was crumpled, and it had handwriting that did not belong to her.

 

_Dear Draco_

 

_He must have dropped this when he ran into me_ , Hermione thought to herself. _Maybe this is what was bothering him_. She felt like she was invading Draco’s privacy. After all, if he did not want to share his problems he did not have to. _But does he have anyone to share his problems with?_ She wondered. Hermione seriously doubted he did. She never saw him talk to anyone else. He was like her in that way, alone. Hermione’s curiosity at what was bothering Draco overwhelmed her, and she read the letter.

 

Hermione felt her stomach twist into knots as she read the letter. It was hard to believe that someone’s own father would be so apathetic and unkind to their child. She had always been lucky that her parents loved and supported her. But Draco did not have that luxury.

 

Hermione made a promise to herself that she would talk to Draco. At least to make sure that he is okay, and that he knows that she is there for him if he ever needs to talk. She was not sure how she was going to bring up the subject or even strike up a conversation with him, but she was going to try. Hermione herd footsteps coming up behind her. She quickly folded up the note and slipped it into her pocket.

 

“Hullo Hermione.” She turned around and smiled at the boy approaching her.

 

“Hello Neville. How are you?” She wondered why Neville had visited her, not that she was complaining. It is just that she did not talk to him besides helping him out in class, since they were paired together in almost all of their classes.

 

“I was wondering if you could help me study for the transfiguration test coming up. I don’t do well on tests and I’m really nervous about this one. My Gran wants me to be really good at transfiguration, but as you’ve seen in class, I’m rubbish at it. So…if you…wouldn’t….mind……” Neville voice trailed off. He was looking at the ground. His hands were fidgety and his face was bright pink, portraying how nervous he really was.

 

Hermione smiled. “I do not mind helping you. I just started studying for the test myself. We can do it together, and if you want, I can show you how I prepare for tests. It might help you, or at least be a building block for you to find your own study habits.”

 

Neville smiled and sat down.“Thanks Hermione.”

 

“No problem, Neville.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Last Chapter I said that I'm not sure that I'll be able to post consistently. I still don't promise that this will go as perfect as I want it to, but I plan to post on Friday nights. So if I post, it will be on Fridays. Please be patient if I miss a day because of school. 
> 
> 2\. I hope you liked the cheaper. Feel free to leave a kudos or a comment. Thank you and Ill see you next Friday. <3


	3. Snack Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm so sorry this is late. I just moved yesterday, and I had to set up my wifi, which I didn't do till this morning. But I now have my wifi, yay, and you now have your chapter, double yay.

Hermione was in the library with Neville. The two of them practically lived there now, they were in there so often. They had become fast friends. Hermione was thankful to finally have someone to talk with, and it was nice to have a study buddy. She was trying to focus on her charms homework, but her mind kept wondering to Draco. All week Hermione had been trying to corner the blond boy. She wanted to talk to him about the letter, and thought that it would be best to talk to him when no one else was around. But all her attempts to talk to him were futile. She had no idea how she was going to talk to him.

 

A hand waved in front of her eyes.“You’ve been staring at the same page for the last five minutes. So either you’re confused about something in charms or you’re thinking about Malfoy again. And since I saw you master the ‘swish and flick’ in class I know that can’t be it.”

 

“You’re right.” Hermione sighed. “I was thinking about Draco. I have not been able to talk to him about the letter at all this week. No matter how hard I try I can never get him by himself. Maybe you could talk to him when you two are in your dorm.”

 

“No….Hermione…we’ve talked about this…I’m… I’m not going to talk to Malfoy by myself. Especially since I shouldn’t know anything about the letter. I’ll go with you…if you want support….but I think that it would be better if you did it by yourself.”

 

“But it is so hard to get him on his own.” Hermione complained. “I bet you see him in the dorm alone all the time.”

 

“Just because I do doesn’t mean I’m gonna tell him that I go snooping around reading his letters.” Neville said, laughing at her. Hermione shoved Neville’s arm for that comment.

 

“You know I had a good reason for reading it. He dropped it. Its-” Hermione stopped when she saw Madam Pince come around a book stack and glare at them.

 

“This is a library, not the Great Hall. If you want to be loud and make a ruckus, you can go there.” Feeling that she made her point, Madam Pince turned around and went back to restocking the bookshelves.

 

“We should probably get out of here…..before she bans us from the library for a week.” Neville suggests. “It is getting late anyways. We can finish our work in the common room.” Hermione suggests as they quickly pack up and leave.

 

“Did you see her face when she turned the corner?” Neville asked as they started climbing the stairs. “She could have set the book that she was holding on fire with a glare like that.” They laughed about Madam Pince’s antics all the way to the Gryffindor tower.

 

“Balderdash.” Hermione said to the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open and let them in. There were still many people in the Gryffindor common room. This made it difficult to find a spot to work, but they managed to find some chairs in a corner of the room that wasn’t too loud. At least it was away from Fred and George Weasley, who were currently playing exploding snap on the other side of the room.

 

“Before we get started, I think we should have a snack break.” Neville said.

 

“But we just had a break. And we ate not that long ago.” Hermione objects.

 

“Hermione…we’ve been studying for four hours now.....you know... it’s okay to take a break to eat.”

 

Neville started to rummage in his bag to see what he had to eat. “You go ahead and eat. I’m going to study a bit more.”

 

“There is always more to study…... If you take a five minute break to eat you will be able to absorb more. This isn’t the best stuff….but it’s something…here.” Neville shoved a chocolate frog and a few pumpkin pasties towards her. Hermione looked at him for a moment. She was going to protest again, but seeing the look on his face she knew that it was no use.

 

Neville smiled as she started to munch on the sweets. As he looked at her he noticed Draco sitting a little further away with what looked like their Muggle Studies homework. He seemed to be having a difficult time, Neville noticed several crumpled up parchments around him. Neville another pumpkin pastie from his bag and shuffled over to him.

 

“You look like you need a break.” Neville had no idea what came over him. Maybe he should just turn around and pretend that this never happened. He was about to when the blond boy looked up at him.

 

“What?” Draco looked so confused, as if he was surprised that someone was talking to him.

 

“You… um….look like you need a break…. I know that when Hermione…when she’s really stressed and has been working for hours… she doesn’t concentrate well on her work… most people don’t…. Anyways, I noticed that you see to be struggling, but-if-your-not-then-that’s-good-too…. I just… I came over here to give you this.” Neville held out the pastie. God, he was so nervous. This is why he didn’t talk to people. They just made him feel so anxious.

 

Draco starred at the candy for a moment, not sure if he should trust the gift or not. This could be some big elaborate joke for all he knew. But slowly he reached out for the pumpkin pastie.

 

“Uh-thanks.” Draco said, not really sure of what to make of the situation. This was the first time someone had talked to him since he ran into Hermione Granger.

 

“Also…if you need help…with the homework….you can sit by me and Hermione…if you want… you don’t have to.” Neville offered.

 

Draco once again was taken by surprise. Why did these people want to help him? There was no reason for it. But it was either sit here all night and struggle through the homework, or accept the help. Even if there was a cost. Because there was always a cost to kindness.

 

“Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you.” Draco gathered his things and followed Neville to where Hermione was sitting. She had watched the whole scene with amazement. She was surprised that Neville did that. He was so shy that he had a hard time talking with people he was comfortable with, let alone people he hardly knew. Draco must have been seriously struggling if Neville when over there to talk to him. The boys sat down around her. Hermione looked at what Draco had currently written.

 

“That’s not right. Cars do not fly in the muggle world.” Hermione corrected.

 

“How do they get around?” Draco said disbelievingly.

 

“They drive the cars on the ground. They build roads specifically for them.”

 

“That doesn’t sound nearly as fun.” With Hermione’s help Draco finished his 12 inch paper before midnight. But by now the common room was practically empty but for them.

 

“Thank you.” Draco said as he was putting away his paper and ink. “Do not mention it.” Hermione smiled at him. “If you ever need help with your homework again, or if you just want to study you can, you can usually find us in the library.”

 

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” Draco was about to leave when Hermione stopped him.

 

“Draco.” He turned to face her. “I have…um… been meaning to give this back to you. You- uh- dropped it when we ran into each other last week. I didn’t mean to read- I thought it was mine-”

 

“Hermione.” Draco interrupted her rambling. “It’s, it’s okay.” He took the paper from her hands gently. “Thank you for returning it. I’ll see you around.” And with that he went upstairs.

 

“Well, that could have gone worse.” Neville said.

 

“I guess you are right. We should go to bed. It is late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you liked it. Feel free to leave a Kudos or a comment <3 see you next Friday.


	4. Wingardium Leviosa

Draco fell into the routine of studying with Hermione and Neville very easily. He even hung out with them when they were not studying. It was the most unlikely set of people to become friends. Draco was glad to finally have some friends, even if his father wouldn’t approve of them. They were so much better than his parents had let on. Hermione was so smart, and Neville was so kind, who cared what their blood status was? Draco didn’t. They were the first people to show him kindness. He wouldn’t give them up for the world.

 

Today, though, they were going to take a break from studying to celebrate Halloween. It had taken Draco and Neville quite a bit of convincing, but they finally got Hermine to agree that they would not study.

 

“For **ONE** day, then were going to go back to our normal study schedule.” Hermione had agreed while they were at breakfast. The boys smiled to each other, knowing that this was a personal victory. They cared about Hermione very much, but they worried about how much time she spent studying. They would hangout to ‘study’ with her because they knew that that was the only way to hang out with her sometimes.

 

They were at their last class of the day, charms. The students were having a hard time concentrating on the lecture partly because it was Friday and partly because it was Halloween.

 

But Flitwick was determined to continue with their lesson. He knew they weren’t going to get through the whole lesson, but it he could at least give them one spell to practice for the rest of the class then he would call it a success. But some of the students were so rowdy that they couldn’t even pay attention for fifteen minutes. Flitwick resided himself to switching some of his students seats, at least for that class period.

 

“Dean you go sit with Neville. Draco you sit with Harry. And Ron you sit with Hermione.” There were audible groans from Ron, Harry and Dean. Draco made a face as he picked up his bag and plopped next to Harry. Hermione just looked forward, trying to ignore the boy who sat down next to her and focus on the lesson.

 

Once the students settled down Professor Flitwick felt content enough to start the lesson.

 

“One of a wizards most rudimentary skills is levitation, or the ability to make objects fly. Do you have your fathers?” he looked around. The students nodded and a few showed off their feathers to him. “Good! Now, don’t forget the nice wrist movement we’ve been practicing, the ‘Swish and Flick.’ Everyone.” He gestured to the class to mimic his movements.

 

“The ‘Swish and Flick.” The students said in unison.

 

“Good. Now, Enunciate ‘Wingardium Leviosa.’ Off you go then.”

 

The students picked up their wands and tried to copy the words and the movements just as their teacher had. Ron picked up his wand and cried, “Wingardium _leviosa_!” He waved his wand around trying in vain to get the feather to go up. Hermione could only watch so much of it.

 

“Stop.” Ron ignored her. “Stop, you’re going to take someone’s eye out.” She grabbed his wand arm before he did any damage.

 

“Oi! Let go. What do you know anyway?” Ron said defensively. “I know you’re saying the spell wrong.” Hermione shot back.

 

“No I am not!”

 

“Yes you are. It’s Levi-O-sa, not levio-SA.” Hermione told him.

 

“What? There’s no difference. That’s the same thing.” Ron said.

 

“There is a difference, and it’s that difference that will cause the feather to fly or to explode in your face.” Hermione said matter-of-factly.

 

“You do it then if you’re so cleaver. Go on.”

 

Hermione picked up her wand, took a second to clear her mind, then spoke as clearly as she could. “Wingardium Leivosa.” For a second the feather didn’t lift, it just stayed there on the table. But then, slowly, very slowly it started to rise. Hermione realized that she could direct it with her want tip. Of course this was something she knew, she had read about, but to actually experience it first hand was completely different.

 

_I am a real wizard now_. She thought. It was a happy thought.

 

“See here everyone, Miss Granger’s done it!” Flitwick called out.

 

Ron just slumped over, giving up entirely for the rest of the class.

 

There was an explosion that interrupted Hermione’s concentration and made her drop her feather. She looked over and saw the smoldering remains of a feather and Seamus’s burnt face. With a sigh, Flitwick dismissed the class, figuring he wouldn’t get them to do much more than that.

 

“That was really good.” Draco said as they all walked to dinner.

 

“Thanks. But I wish I had not been paired up with Ron. He was not really the nicest person to sit next to.”

 

“At least you didn’t have to sit by Potter. He was so quiet and he wouldn’t look at me. I think he hates me for being mean to Ron on the first day.”

 

“Ummm…Guys…I..uhh… forgot my cloak…… in Flitwicks’ classroom. Can one of you guys come with me?” Neville said. He was embarrassed. Neville had a habit of forgetting his things. Usually Hermione or Draco noticed that he was about to leave something, but they didn’t always.

 

“That’s okay. I’ll go with you.” Draco volunteered.

 

“Hermione, you go ahead and save us seats okay?”

 

“Okay. I will see you guys in a bit.” Hermione waved goodbye to her friends as they disappeared into the crowd. She sped up her pace to make sure she could get three seats at the Gryffindor table. As she walked she heard a part of a conversation she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear.

 

“It’s ‘Levi-OOOOO-sa, not levio-SSSSSSSA.” Ron said as Harry, dean, and Seamus all laughed. “She’s a nightmare honestly. I can’t believe anyone would want to be friends with her.” They all laughed again.

 

As much as Hermione wanted to ignore Ron and the rest of the stupid boys she could not. They were just like the other kids at her old school. And Ron’s words struck a little too close to home for Hermione to just pretend she did not hear him. She ran into his shoulder as hard as she could and then made a break for the nearest bathroom. She was not going to let any of them see her cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm sorry I didn't post a chapter last week. College is crazy. But I'm here now. I was going to make this chapter longer, but I figured that you wanted a chapter this week. so here you go. Hope you liked it. Kudos and comments are appreciated and always welcomed. Thank you to all of the people who keep coming back to read this. You're the reason why I keep writing. <3


	5. Trolls and Freindship

It had taken Neville and Draco longer than they had thought it would to get Neville’s cloak. They had to fight through the crowded hallway all the way back to Flitwick’s room. And by the time they got there, the door was locked. So the boys went to Flitwick’s personal room. Thankfully he was there, but he made them wait until he was dressed and ready for the feast before he unlocked the room. By the time Neville and Draco walked into the Great Hall it was packed with students eating. The boys walked up and down the Gryffindor table, but they didn’t see Hermione.

 

“There’s no way we beat her here.” Draco said. Something in him knew that something was wrong.

 

“And she said she’d save us seats.” They looked at each other. Something didn’t add up. Draco looked around. He didn’t see Hermione. But he did see Fred and George right next to where he was standing.

 

“Hey, Fred. Have you seen Hermione?” Draco inquired.

 

“No I haven’t. Why? What’s wrong?” Fred asked.

 

“We can’t find her and she said she would be here.” Neville Said. Across the table from Fred and George was Parvati and Padma Patil.

 

“Hermione is in the Bathroom. We saw her in there, crying. We don’t know what’s wrong, but something or someone really upset her.” Parvati said. Just as the boys were about to turn to leave the Great Hall, Professor Quirrell came running into the room.

 

“TROOOOOLL!!!!! IN THE DUUNGEON!!! “TRRROOOLLLL IN THE DUNGEON!!!!!!!” He screamed. He stopped running. “Ithougyououghttoknow.” Quirrell said in a much softer voice, but it still carried throughout the eerily quiet room. Then, without warning, he collapsed onto the ground.

 

Screams erupted all over the room. Students started to get up and stampede to the door.

 

“SILENCE!” Dumbledore yelled over the cacophony “Everybody please, do Not panic.

 

The room settled down. Satisfied with the students’ cooperation, Dumbledore continued. “Prefect will lead their houses back to their dormitories. Teacher will follow me to the dungeon.”

 

Everyone started to walk briskly to their dormitories. But Draco stopped Neville for a moment. “Hermione doesn’t know. We need to find her.”

 

“But how will we know which bathroom she’s in?” Neville asked. It was a good question that stumped Draco. There were several bathrooms between here and where they last saw Hermione. Draco grabbed Neville’s hand and ran to the Patil Twins.

 

“Which bathroom did you see Hermione in?” Draco said in a hushed tone. He didn’t want anyone to over hear them and stop him from finding Hermione.

 

“The one that’s closest to here.” Padma said. “Go find her.” She told them.

 

Neville and Draco didn’t need to be told twice. They ran down the hall to the bathroom that Padma had said Hermione would be. Neville saw a big shadow at the end of the hallway. He grabbed Draco’s arm and pulled him into the nearest classroom doorway. Neville peeked out and saw a troll lumbering towards the girl’s bathroom.

 

“How did a troll get in?” Neville asked

 

“I don’t know. It must have help because trolls are really stupid. There is no way it could have gotten in on its own. Maybe someone is playing some stupid, dangerous joke.” Draco said hesitantly. Something weird was going on. “Let’s go.” He said when to troll passed. They got to the end of the hallway way and saw the troll trudge into the bathroom. A few seconds later they heard a scream coming from there that sounded like Hermione. They ran towards the bathroom.

 

When they got in there they saw the bathroom in shambles. The green stalls were splinters all across the floor. Something moved underneath a big pile of wood. Hermione’s head popped out.

 

“Watch out guys!” Hermione cried as the troll swung his club towards them. Draco jumped backwards and pulled Neville along with him to avoid getting hit. The club continued swinging and collide with the only good stalls that were still standing. Hermione moved out of the way so that she was not buried under more rubble.

 

The troll advanced on Neville and Draco. Hermione started throwing pieces of the stalls at the troll. Right as it was about to swing, one piece hit the troll squarely in the back of the head. It turned and hit a few sinks instead of Draco and Neville.

 

“Hermione, get out of there!” Neville yelled.

 

“Yeah, slip by him then we can go.” Draco added. Hermione felt touched by their words. It reminded her that she had friends who cared about her. What Ron said was stupid, and she should have known that. Him and all of those other boys. They were all stupid. What did their words mean when she had friends like these?

 

“Distract the troll. I have an idea.” Hermione told them. The boys started yelling at the troll. It started advancing towards them slowly.

 

Hermione cleared her mind, took a deep breath, and said as clearly as she could “Wingardium Leviosa.” All the broken pieces of the stalls, toilets, and sinks rose up at her command. She raised it above the trolls head. “Run!” the boys didn’t hesitate. They ran so that they would not get hit by the projectile. When they were a safe enough distance away Hermione dropped everything onto the trolls head, knocking it out in an instant.

 

Hermione was too close, and got hit with some of the shrapnel. Her legs were covered in splinters. She decided it could be worse, but that did not deny the fact that she was in a lot of pain. Draco and Neville rushed came back to her side.

 

“That was amazing. I can’t believe you did that, well…. I can.. Because you’re you and you’re amazing and talented… You’re hurt…. Oh god. We gotta get you to madam Pomfr-"

 

Neville was intruded by teachers ruing into the bathroom. They looked in horror at the scene before them. “E-explain yourselves all of you!” Professor McGonagall spluttered.

 

Draco and Neville looked at Hermione. They didn’t know what to say. Everything happened so fast.

 

“Neville and Draco went to look for me because they knew I went to the bathroom. They found me being attacked by the troll. If it they had not come and found me I would be dead by now.” Hermione said.

 

The teachers looked from one kid to another and did not know what to say. Nothing like this has ever happened before at Hogwarts. Finally McGonagall stepped forward and said, “Let’s take you to Madam Pomfrey dear child. And thirty points to Gryffindor, for friends who stick together.” And with that she lifted Hermione and carried her to the hospital wing. The boys following them. Madam Pomfrey got all of the splinters out in a jiffy, but had her stay the night. They boys were about to leave when Hermione stopped them.

 

“Thank you.” She said fidgeting with her bedsheets. They gave each other questioning looks.

 

“What for?” Draco asked.

 

“For looking for me. And caring. And being my friend. I have never had friends like you guys before. And you guys mean a lot to me.” There were tears in her eyes by the time she finished talking.

 

Neville and Draco hugged Hermione. “You mean a lot to us too… You know that?” Neville said reassuringly.

 

“Yeah. Life wouldn’t be the same without you.” Draco said. They all smiled at each other. And then Neville and Draco left the Hospital wing with a promise to be back there tomorrow when she was to be released.

 

They were so exhausted by the time that they got to the dorm. They were not expecting the other boys in the room to be up, much less care about what happened. But when they walked in they were bombarded with questions.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Is Hermione okay?”

 

“Was there really a troll?”

 

“Did you guys fight it?”

 

“Why did you fight it?”

 

“Stop!!” Draco said firmly. He could feel a headache coming on. But he knew that he would have to answer at least some of these questions.

 

“Hermione’s fine. She’s resting up in the hospital wing. We fought the troll. We did it to save Hermione. We had to save Hermione because she was in the bathroom and didn’t know that there was a troll. And she was in there because of you guys. So if you don’t mind, Neville and I are exhausted and we want to go to bed now.” The room was silent. The boys looked at each other guiltily. They knew they were the ones to blame.

 

“Tell Hermione that I’m Sorry.” Harry said.

 

“I think she would prefer it if you told her yourself. It would seem more genuine.” Draco said.

 

Harry nodded. And with that everyone went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapter. Originally, this chapter and the 4th chapter were going to be one chapter, but it started to get too long and i decided to split it into two. I think it worked out better. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Kudos and comments are always welcomed. See you next week. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Did you guys like it? I hope you did. I am putting a disclaimer here right now that i don't know how often I am going to post because I am going to start up college again soon, so we will see how often I will be posting. But please leave a comment or a kudos if you liked it. Thanks <3


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